Review: Dragon Heart - Adventures Beyond This World

Some adults spend their entire lives trying to figure out their mission in life. In the latest animated film from Isamu Imakake, two junior high students must literally go through hell to figure this out. In Dragon Heart: Adventures Beyond This World Ryusuke decides to spend the summer at his aunt’s house where he reunites with his cousin Tomomi. While on an outing to the Anabuki River, Tomomi falls into the river. Ryusake tries to save his cousin, and both end up dead. In the afterworld, the two meet a dragon as well as an old man who states they have a chance to make it back to the living. This chance is earned by them exploring the spirit world to discover their mission in life. Can the two venture through the various levels of hell and more to figure out their mission, or will they become permanent residents of the afterlife?

Dragon Heart: Adventures Beyond This World is a deep, heartfelt, and thought-provoking story that is beautifully animated and sharply directed. There were a number of surprising aspects to the screenplay. It is not often we see children going through various hellish worlds that involve mature sins. Our duo go from a world filled with people who are killers to a hospital filled with deadly, unethical staff with chainsaws to human traffickers, to name a few. The two are in constant peril for most of the runtime, maintaining an atmosphere of high tension for the audience. They even address the sin of lust, but it is handled tastefully. The art direction was fantastic. Each level of hell had its own unique look, as did the contrasting worlds of the Shambhala temple and Peachtree land. I particularly love the design of the various gods Ryusake and Tomomi run across. The dragon that is their ride through the spirit world also had personality, even though it never said a word.

When it comes to foreign movies, I try to watch them with the original audio with subtitles. This version was dubbed, and dubbed well. The voice acting of Zach Aguilar as Ryusuke and Ren Holly Liu as Tomomi felt very fitting for the characters and conveyed the emotions effectively.  I particularly enjoyed Brook Chalmers as King Enma, a character who helped add some humor to a serious story. The score to the movie was beautiful, while the vocal songs were spot-on.

I love animated films that are made for both adults and children, and Dragon Heart: Adventures Beyond This World fits the bill. It is very on-the-nose with the religious aspects near the end, which may turn some people off, but I think the main message of the film is important. The story does not talk down to kids, trusting they will understand what it is trying to say while maybe scaring them a bit. Taking everything into account, I would not recommend the film for those younger than eleven. If you enjoy animated films with a message and great artwork,then this is definitely a film for you.